Gully Boy – A Fun Loving & Highly Entertaining Movie Banner: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby Production
Producer: Ritesh Sadwani, Farhan Akhtar, Nas & Zoya Akhtar
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Star Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz, Vijay Varma, Amruta Subhsh, Ikhlaque Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Rahul Piske, Jyoti Subhash, Nakul Roshan Sahdev, Shruti Chauhan, Vijay Maurya, Srishti Shrivastava, Malika Singh, Tina Bhatia, Rahil Gilani, Abdul Quadir Amin, Svar Kamble, Chaitnya Sharma, Jasleen Royal Jasleen Royal, Michaela Tanwar, Mohan Kapoor & Kubra Sait  
Music: Divine, Naezy, Dub Sharma, Ankur Tewari, Spitfire, Sez, Rishi Rich, Raghu Dixit, Midival Punditz, Karsh Kale, Chandrashekhar Kunder, Jasleen Royal, Micky McCleary, Ace, Ishq Bector, Prem-Hardeep, Viveick Rajagopalan, Kaam Bhaari, Akshay Dhawan, xD Pro, iLL Wayno, Salaam Remi, Karsh Kale, The Salvage Audio & Collective

Rapping is a celebrated form of music worldwide. It came up from the streets & was able to resonate with all sections of society. India too has had a rapping scene & 2 of them who are quite famous in this category are Divine & Naezy. Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy is loosely based on their lives & has managed to generate tremendous hype. The presence of Ranveer Singh & Alia Bhatt has also added to the buzz.
The scripted scenario of Gully Boy reveals the story of a timid slum dweller whose life changes thanks to his talent. Murad (Ranveer Singh) is a college student who lives in a slum in Mumbai’s Dharavi. He’s in a relationship with the fiery Safeena (Alia Bhatt), a medical student who comes from an orthodox upper caste Muslim family. There’s tension in Murad’s house as his father Shakir (Vijay Raaz) gets a second wife, much to the dismay of his mother Razia (Amruta Subhash). Meanwhile, one day an upcoming rapper MC Sher (Siddhant Chaturvedi) performs in Murad’s college & he gets floored. After all, he’s always been interested in rapping. MC Sher one day asks aspiring performers to meet him & Murad jumps at this opportunity. MC Sher takes a liking for Murad & motivates him to rap publicly. Murad is hesitant at first but he performs for the crowd who give him thumbs up. MC Sher even gets him to shoot a video which becomes very popular. However, Murad is not able to pursue his passion full time. He is compelled to step into his father’s shoes & become a chauffeur after the latter fractures his leg. He also has a complex on account of his social status. What happens next forms the crux of the film. 

Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar’s story is promising. The character of Murad is very well written & also the world around him. Many who had criticized Zoya for showing the world of the elite in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) & Dil Dhadkane Do (2015) would surely be surprised. Also the writers have ensured that the film doesn’t turn out to be just a story of a rapper. It speaks about passion, aspiration & also makes an important commentary on poverty, social strata, juvenile delinquency, polygamy etc. Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar’s screenplay is highly effective. A lot of research has gone into the film & it shows. Several sequences are powerful & they hit you hard. Even the humor comes out very well. Vijay Maurya’s dialogues further add to the impact as they are acidic. The poems of Murad are penned by Javed Akhtar & they have their own charm. 

Zoya Akhtar’s direction is exemplary yet again & she proves that she is worthy of setting her film in diverse world & yet emerging victorious. However, the film has a few rough edges & one wishes she had taken care of it. The 2^nd half is quite lengthy. In fact, it feels like one is watching a three hour long film. A few characters like Safeena & Sky (Kalki Koechlin) are interesting but they don’t have much to do & conveniently disappear in the middle. Also the tone & the theme of the film is such that it won’t appeal to audiences pan India. The film features scenes of rap battle where one is supposed to roast the opponent & get personal. Such scenes may put off a section of the audiences.
Gully Boy is not the usual entertainer & this becomes evident in the 1^st ever scene itself. However, the goings on are very interesting & suck you into the world of these characters. The entry of Safeena adds to the fun & the sequence where she assaults Albina, a girl who shows interest in Murad, will bring the house down. Murad’s struggles & his bond with MC Sher is also well depicted. A few scenes are exceptionally directed like Murad’s 1^st ever performance. Another scene that stands out in the 1^st ever half is when Murad gets the idea of the song “Doori”in the car. Post interval, the interest dips a bit. The film gets stretched & also has far too many sub plots. The climax thankfully is when the film picks up beautifully. The film ends on a high note.
There are far too many songs in the film & none of them are conventional chartbusters, considering the theme of the film. But few of them stand out. “Apna Time Aayega”has got noticed & takes the film to another level. “MereGully Mein”is peppy while “Azadi”is riveting. “Doori”is quite touching. “SherAaya Sher”, played during MC Sher’s entry is decent. Background score is in sync with the film.
Jay Oza’s cinematography is magnificent & gives the film a fine look. Even in the finale, the lensman’s fine job adds to the effect. Arjun Bhasin & Poornamrita Singh’s costume are stylish & realistic. Manohar Verma & Sunil Rodrigues’ action is also quite real. The latter has choreographed Alia Bhatt’s action scene & it’s one of the film’s highpoints. Suzanne Caplan Merwanji’s production design is authentic. Nitin Baid’s editing is stylish but could have been crisper in the 2^nd half. Ranveer Singh gets completely into the skin of his character. He is 10 years older than Murad in real life & yet he convincingly manages to essay the role of a college student. Even as a rapper, he seems like a pro & not even once does it feel that he’s acting for the part. Also watch out for the scenes where he’s playing 2^nd fiddle to MC Sher in the 1^st ever half. For a lead actor to do so is quite praiseworthy. Alia Bhatt is explosive to say the least. Her role would be loved & she’s so good that one wishes she had more screen time. Siddhant Chaturvedi makes a solid debut. He has a crucial part & would surely be talked about. Kalki Koechlin leaves a tremendous mark in a small role. Vijay Varma (Moeen) is satisfactory. Vijay Raaz is quite nice & makes an impact, especially in the pre – climax. Amruta Subhash is decent. Shrishti Shrivastava (Albina) is hilarious. Jyoti Subhash (Murad’s grandmother) makes her presence felt in a crucial scene in the 2^nd half. The rest of the actor’s like Rahul Piske & Abdul Qadir Amin are fine.
On the whole, Gully Boy is a fun & moving entertainer that will surely resonate with the youth & multiplex-frequenting urban audiences.
At the box office, the 4 day weekend ensured that it emerged as a profitable venture for its makers. 

‘Pad Man’ Akshay Kumar Calls On ‘Pad Heroes’ Across India

 ‘Pad Man’ Akshay Kumar calls on ‘Pad Heroes’ across India to join him & the Niine Movement for the nationwide running event Run4Niine. Online registrations have already begun for the event which is set to become India’s largest nationwide run for menstrual hygiene awareness, with the hope of setting the Guinness World Record for organizing the “Largest Number of Runs in a Single Day for Menstrual Hygiene Awareness”.

 Speaking about his association with Run4Niine, megastar Akshay Kumar averred, “It’s already been more than a year since the release of Pad Man, and I am proud to see how it has evolved into a phenomenal grass roots level movement. Once again, I am excited to be partnering with the Niine Movement to encourage an open & unashamed discussion on menstruation with my fellow citizens, pad heroes, change makers & pathbreakers for the Run4Niine. Each one of us that takes part in Run4Niine helps to create an unstoppable force that will beat the stigma around periods.”  

Run4Niine will take place in 100’s of cities across 20+ states in India on 8^thMar, 2019 to mark International Women’s Day. Some of the states where runs have been confirmed include Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Haryana, Goa, Jharkhand, NCR, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra & above all Punjab. 

Akshay Kumar is all set to flag-off Run4Niine in Lucknow followed by event extravaganza. The nationwide activities organized by the Niine Movement, in partnership with JCI India, FOGSI, & Niine Sanitary Napkins are all set to be held in up to 500 cities. Campaign aims to bridge the gap between sanitary napkin users from 18% to 82% bringing together both genders, across all ages, backgrounds & of all abilities. Run4Niine participants can run, walk, jog & wheel across their cities united by one vision, breaking the stigma around periods to leave no one behind. Runs will take place in Lucknow, where Future Sahara hospital will support as medical partner,  Gurgaon at Leisure Valley, where Niine will be supported by Gurgaon Women Police members & senior legal counsels, Fortis Hospitals will be supporting Run4Niine as Medical Partner across the country in cities they are present in.

[Nasheman news] Mumbai In the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar and his wife actress Shabana Azmi have decided not to attend an event in Pakistan.

Akhtar on Friday took to Twitter to share that they will not be joining the event, being organised by the Karachi Art Council. 

“Karachi Art Council had invited Shabana and me for a two-day literature conference about Kaifi Azmi and his poetry. We have cancelled that,” he tweeted.

A suicide bomber on Thursday rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pulwama district. The death toll in the horrific suicide bombing rose to 49 on Friday. 

The Thursday horror was the worst loss to security forces on any single day in Jammu and Kashmir since a separatist campaign broke out in 1989. 

Condemning the attack, Shabana said that she is “filled with pain and grief”.

“For the first time in all these years, I feel weakened in my belief that people to people contact can force the establishment to do the right thing. We will need to call halt to cultural exchange. 

“There is no way we can carry on with cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan even as our martyrs are laying down their lives for us. I stand in solidarity with the grieving families,” she added.

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[Nasheman news] Director Krish Jagarlamudi is done with the bickering with Kangana Ranaut.

“I’ve had my say. No more. If she wants to believe she directed all of ‘Manikarnika’, so be it. Everyone knows the truth,” asserts Krish and vows to not get into any more war of words with the film’s aggressive leading lady and co-director.

However, one major issue that needs to be addressed is the singing and dancing that the Queen of Jhansi is seen indulging in with her subjects. In an elaborate song and dance sequence, Rani Laxmibai embarrasses the hell out of her husband, the King of Jhansi (played by Jisshu Sengupta) by dancing with the people of their state in a pregnant condition.

A source very close to the film says that the song and dance during times of raging battles was Kangana’s idea.

“Ek toh Rani, opoopar se garbhbati (firstly a queen and above it, pregnant). How can she be shown dancing in that unbecoming fashion? Krish was totally against the idea. The song-and-dance was added on by Kangana after Krish left,” the source says.

Significantly, when another Queen, Padmavati in an epic film in January 2018, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmaavat”, got up from her throne to take to the dance floor with her ladies-in-waiting, all hell had broken loose.

Deepika’s Rani Padmaavati was shown dancing to the Ghoomar song in the most graceful and queenly manner in a closed environment with the women from her durbar.

Bhansali said: “We wanted the Ghoomar song and dance to retain its purity since this was being performed by Rani Padmavati. Every step and every move in the dance form celebrates the grace of royalty. 

“This is our dance tribute to the brave Rajput women of Rajasthan. I heard how little children performing the Ghoomar dance at a school in India were stopped. 

“I’d like to tell those disruptive elements that you can’t stop something as beautiful and innocent as this from reaching out to the hearts of people across the world.”

Bhansali’s heart swells with pride to see Ghoomar reaching into the hearts and feet of American kids.

Says the director: “What better illustration of Prime Minster Narendra Modiji’s Make In India policy? I feel our culture is so rich and varied. We’ve so much to give the West. Why not take our culture and art forms to the West rather than continuously borrow their lifestyle and culture?”

All hell had broken lose with fringe groups demanding that the song-and-dance be removed or else they would cut off Deepika’s nose.

Says a source very close to the “Padmaavat” team: “When we showed Deepika dancing in the Queen’s inner chambers, we had to digitally cover Deepika’s midriff before the censor board allowed the Ghoomar song. 

“Now in ‘Manikarnika’, again about a Queen, Kangana’s Rani Laxmibai jumps off her seat and breaks into a street-side jig with the commoners. That was okay? What is good enough for Rani Laxmbai is not befitting for Rani Padmavati? Please figure out that one.”

When pressed for a response, Krish said: “I don’t know where the singing and dancing came from. It wasn’t there when I was directing ‘Manikarnika’.”

The question remains: Why was it not right for Rani Padmavati to dance when everyone seems okay with the Rani Of Jhansi shaking a leg, midriff forgotten?

[Nasheman news] Mumbai Noted actor Manoj Bajpayee has condemned Thursday’s terror attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir, and said the Central government is capable enough to tackle the situation.

Manoj said this here on Friday while interacting with the media at Cine And TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) and 48 Hour Film Project’s first edition of ‘Act Fest 2019’, along with Sara Ali Khan, Ronit Roy and Divya Dutta.

The citizens of the country should have faith in them (government) and support them in such trying circumstances, he said.

In the worst-ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber on Thursday rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, killing at least 45 troopers and leaving 38 critically wounded.

“Words will fall short to express our anger for this kind of heinous act. My prayers are the families of soldiers who have lost their dear ones in the tragedy and it’s their irreparable loss,” Manoj said.

“I feel scared and hurt… I get angry whenever I hear of such evil acts… I am feeling really sad to hear about what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir,” Sara Ali Khan said.

More than 2,500 CRPF personnel were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

The Pakistan-based JeM terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack that took place about 20 km from Srinagar.

  
A Glittering Ceremony For “Power Brands Bollywood Film Journalists’ Awards 2019!” Held 

 The 2019 Power Brands-Bollywood Film Journalist’s Awards was organized recently by Planman Motion Pictures at Hotel Novotel Mumbai. Padmavat took home 16 roaring lions. Badhai Ho took away 7 roaring lions including “Best Film”. Andhadhun & Tummbad bagged 6 roaring lions each & Sriram Raghavan bagged “Best Director” award for Andhadhun.

 The glittering event also saw 2 mega book launches!! The big one was the launch of a young 18 year old author Che Kabir Chaudhuri’s book “Discover The Superhero In You” published by Times Group Books. The book which is about life’s lessons from superhero films & comics, was launched by Miss universe Sushmita Sen who also got the special Power Brand Superhero Award. Launching the book Ms. Sen was in full praise of the book saying such insight & depth is absolutely amazing!! Mr . Chaudhry said that he believed that there was a lot to learn in life from comics & Superhero films & he wanted to prove that.

 The other book was launched by Rock Star who has taken YouTube by storm namely Guru Randhawa. This coffee table book, “Bollywood Power Brands” also published by Times Group Books is authored by Rajita Chaudhuri & Dr. Arindam Chaudhuri & is on the most powerful people in Bollywood. They called it their tribute to the movers & shakers of Bollywood. 

Sanjay Khan was also there in full force with his family namely  Zarine, Suzanne, Farah, Zayed & Simone. So was the lifetime award winner, Manoj Kumar, who spoke with full gusto & said that being in a wheel chair he is hardly a power brand anymore.

 Sanjay Khan emphasized on the need for national integration & Malaika Arora also got a special Power Brand Fashion Icon award. From Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Shriram Raghavan, Gajaraj Rao, Ronit Roy to Shefali Shah, Neeraj Kavi, Nushrat Bharucha, Farah Khan, Ali Fazal, Amit Trivedi &  Amit Sharma all the winners praised the fairness of the awards & thanked the journalists who voted for them. Sushmita Sen, Malaika Arora, Nushrat Bharucha & Manjari Fadnis dazzled the red carpet. 

The Power Brands Bollywood Film Journalists Awards are the only awards in the country where more than 20 of the leading film journalists of this country do an open ballot voting for all categories & disclose who they voted for online 2 weeks before the award ceremony. 

Where awards are given irrespective of the winners presence as they are declared a fortnight in advance at least. Where the runners up are also awarded with the title of associate winners. There are no nominations & journalists are free to give anyone their vote amongst the films released last year. 

Basically it’s the only credible awards in the country and for the same it has garnered huge appreciation, though still only in its 3^rd year.

  The list of key winners this year are:

 Best Feature Film Winner – Badhaai Ho – Junglee Pictures/ Vineet JainAssociate Winner – Andhadhun – Viacom18 Motion Pictures.  

Best Director Winner – Andhadhun – Sriram Raghavan Associate Winner – Raazi – Meghna Gulzar

 Best Actor Male Winner – Sanju – Ranbir Kapoor Associate Winner – Padmaavat – Ranveer Singh 

Best Actor Female Winner – Raazi – Alia Bhatt  Associate Winner – Padmaavat – Deepika Padukone Associate Winner – Hichki – Rani Mukerji

 Best Supporting Actor Male Winner – Sanju – Vicky Kaushal Associate Winner – Badhaai Ho – Gajraj Rao Associate Winner – Stree – Pankaj Tripathi

 Best Supporting Actor Female Winner – Badhaai Ho – Neena Gupta Associate Winner – Badhaai Ho – Surekha Sikri 

Best Music Director Winner – Andhadhun – Amit Trivedi Associate Winner – Padmaavat – Sanjay Leela Bhansali 

Best Background Score Winner – Tumbbad – Ajay-Atul / Jesper Kyd Associate Winner – Padmaavat – Ankit Balhara –  Sanchit Balhara & Sanjay Leela Bhansali

 Best Cinematography Winner – Padmaavat – Sudeep Chatterjee Associate Winner – Tumbbad – Pankaj Kumar

 Best Story Adapted Winner – Raazi – Bhavani Iyer & Meghna Gulzar Associate Winner – Simmba – Yunus Sajawal, Sajid Samji & Vakkantham Vamsi 

Associate Winner – Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran – Saiwyn Quadras, Sanyuktha Chawla Sheikh & Abhishek Sharma

Best Story Original Winner – Badhaai Ho – Shanatanu Srivastava, Akshat Ghildial & Jyoti Kapoor 

Associate Winner – Andhadhun – Sriram Raghavan, ArijitBiswas, Pooja LadhaSurti, Yogesh Chandekar & Hemanth Rao

TV Actor Krushna Abhishek’s new movie Sharmaji Ki Lag Gai’s trailer & poster was launched recently. Nilkanth Regmi, Vanshmani Sharma of Rock Mountain Productions in association with Tweet Entertainment recently organized the trailer & the poster launch of their new Comedy film titled Sharmaji Ki Lag Gayi at The View Preview. Well-known directors like Anil Sharma & Mehul Kumar came specially to launch the poster of the film. Krushna Abhishek, Mugdha Godse, Brijendra Kala, Hemant Pandey, Himani Shivpuri, Sunil Pal, choreographer Lollypop, Vinay Anand, Kashmeera Shah, Aarti Singh also came to attend the event. The credits of the film are songs written & composed by Praveen Bhardwaj, directed by Manoj Sharma, asspsiat producers are A K Arora & Vatsal Baxi & c0-producer is Kamal Kishore Mishra. The film will be released on 15^th Mar, 2019 all over. Zee Music Company is releasing the music.